Fauna

Preliminary observations document that many mammals and birds are using the Swamp. Sightings included regionally rare and uncommon species, such as mink, fisher, and bobcat, barred owl, great blue heron, sapsucker, and woodcock. However, for none of these species do we yet know what role the Swamp plays in their lives. We don’t know, if they are breeding in the Swamp, visiting to hunt or forage, or just travelling through. Beaver, on the other hand, seem to be year-round residents in the Swamp and are most likely breeding there. For other less mobile vertebrates, such as reptiles and amphibians, we can assume that all species found in the Swamp and surrounding uplands are actually breeding in or near the Swamp.

We found a number of rare wetland butterflies in the Swamp. Eyed brown and mulberry wing depend on wetland sedges as host plants for their caterpillars. The harvester is closely associated with alder, a wetland shrub, where their caterpillars actually feed on aphids which in turn suck the juice out of the alder leaves. It is very likely that all three of these wetland butterflies, as well as most other butterfly species on our list, were actually breeding and potentially spending their entire life in the Swamp.

The list of dragonflies also includes a number of rare and uncommon species. The most unusual find was that of northern pigmy clubtail, a species considered rare throughout NY State. It was breeding in a forested, rocky stream flowing through Darrow’s forest into the Swamp. Band-winged meadowhawk, shadow darner and spotted spreadwing are rare or uncommon throughout Columbia County and specialize in marshy areas.